Alternative Cultures, Utopian Politics and New Horizons (P4101)

30 credits, Level 6

Spring teaching

Global society is at an impasse. Ecology is in decline; the finance system unchecked; identity, community and politics are in crisis. The future seems foreclosed.

So, what happened to the alternative? What happened to utopian imaginings, and liberated futures? Have we forgotten how to know them?

In this module, you will explore these questions. Through a review of alternative, utopian and liberatory cultural and political ideas, you will become familiar with the imagination and realisation of different horizons.

Drawing on diverse cases (from sound and the city, to ecology and mutuality) it asks where these alternatives can be found today, and how we evaluate them.

Teaching

100%: Seminar

Assessment

100%: Coursework (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 24 hours of contact time and about 276 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.